The Bond
by marksmom
Summary: Major AR-The Ministry creates and enforces a new Marriage Law.  Who chooses Harry?  What happens with Sirius?  Rated M for slash, mpreg, language and descriptions of abuse. Sirius alive, also FW/DM. *NOW COMPLETE!*
1. Chapter 1

_**Thank you to TrippingOverYou for being my wonderful beta! Kissies!**_

_**9:00 a.m.**_

Charlie Weasley was in shock, he had to have misheard his father. "You mind repeating that to me, Dad?"

Arthur sighed heavily. "The Ministry has passed a law requiring that all men and women, over the age of 15 marry and produce heirs. Since Harry defeated You-Know-Who, and the war is over, they think we should all 'contribute' to the repopulating of the wizarding world." He pinched the bridge of his nose. The others had all taken it relatively well. Charlie was going to be the hardest.

"No."

"Charlie, you really don't have a choice. If you leave the country, they will find you and send you back. They've taken your preferences into consideration." He handed a piece of parchment to Charlie. "Since we are one of the oldest families, and you are my oldest unmarried son, you were given the right of first choice. The men on this list are all carriers." Arthur passed his hand over his aching eyes. He had cried long and hard when he had heard that the ability to choose their own spouses was being denied to everyone, including five of his seven children. Bill and Percy were already married, so they weren't affected. Not that they saw Percy anymore, but Arthur was glad at least two of his children had managed to avoid this mess.

Charlie stared at the list in his hand but didn't really see it. He was going to have to choose one of these men and be bonded to him. Forever. He started to shake, the parchment trembling. Arthur put his hand on Charlie's arm.

"Please, Charlie, look at the list. There are a few names on there that you know." Arthur had looked at the list already. He knew who he and Molly wanted Charlie to choose, he only hoped that they had read their son correctly.

Charlie's eyes focused on the names. His father was right; he did know a couple of the names. One name practically jumped off of the parchment and danced in front of him. He pointed at the name. "That one." The quiet conviction in his son's voice, combined with seeing the name he was pointing at, relieved Arthur. They had indeed read Charlie right. He sent an owl to the Ministry at once.

~OOooOO~

_**Later The Same Day**_

"Siri, _**please **_tell me you're kidding!" Harry Potter looked at his godfather's red-rimmed eyes and knew he wasn't. Sirius Black didn't cry over much, but he would, if it involved something hurting Harry or Remus Lupin, his bond-mate.

"I-I'm sorry Bambi. I tried...tried so hard! You have to be bonded. Remy told us this might happen, remember? I just didn't think they would actually _**force**_ anyone. The Ministry got an owl this morning from the man who chose your name. I am **_so_** sorry Bambi!" Sirius buried his face in his hands and sobbed.

Harry sat heavily in an armchair and stared at Remus. The werewolf's eyes were also sad and reddened, tear stains clearly visible on his face. "It's not only that, Harry. Siri and I can't use contraceptive charms anymore. They've made them illegal for anyone under 50 to use them without a medical reason. Since he's a carrier, and lycanthropy doesn't pass through semen or blood, we've been told we need to produce at least one child, as well."

Harry felt anger begin to seep through the shock. "How can they do that? Siri's 38 years old! How will this affect his health?"

Sirius looked up. "Harry, I can safely carry a child until I am in my early fifties, as can you. We want a child...Remy and I have been talking for a while about not using the charms. This isn't so much about us, though, as it is about you. I didn't want this to happen to you, you're only 16, but it's out of our control. The letter from the Ministry said that the man and his family will be here at 1:00 this afternoon. All I know about him is that he's a pureblood. They wouldn't tell me anything else. I'm sorry."

He put his head back down in his hands, this time crying quietly. Remus slid an arm around his husband and held him tightly. He held out his other hand to Harry. They all sat for a moment, each trying to accept the fact that Harry was being forced to bond to a stranger against his will.

Harry's mind flew over the possibilities, thinking about who could have chosen him. It could be almost anyone. He didn't want to think about Draco Malfoy. Knowing his luck, Malfoy would pick him and then kill him. Slowly. He glanced at the clock and his breathing hitched. Only 4 more minutes. Remy and Siri also looked at the clock.

The old fashioned doorbell rang. Sirius stood and grabbed Harry, hauling him into his arms as Remy left to answer the door. Harry felt Sirius' fear grip him. This man, whoever he was, had come to claim him. He felt his breathing get faster and he knew he was on the verge of having a panic attack. He hadn't had one since right after the final battle, but he just knew he was going to have one now.

He heard voices in the hallway, but no yelling. Maybe there was hope that Malfoy hadn't picked him after all.

With horrified fascination, both he and Sirius watched the door to the sitting room open slowly. Harry began to see black spots in front of his eyes. He couldn't seem to be able to drag air into his lungs. He barely saw a pair of dragon-hide boots before the black spots became larger and he slid from his godfather's arms to the floor, unconscious.

"Harry!"

~OOooOO~

Charlie was worried about Harry. He had been told that he wasn't allowed to owl Harry to let him know that he had chosen him. The Ministry, for some ungodly reason, thought that the surprise would be exciting for the couples. He knew Harry, and he wouldn't like this. Arthur had wanted to precede him, since he was Charlie's father, but Charlie vetoed that immediately.

"No. I can guarantee you that Harry, Remus and Sirius are scared to death that someone horrible picked Harry. I want them to know, right away, that Harry is safe." Arthur couldn't help but agree with his son.

Charlie rang the doorbell at Number 12 Grimmauld Place and waited. He heard very slow footsteps approach the door. He knew it was either Remus or Sirius on the other side, most likely the former. The door opened slowly and Remus Lupin stood before him, eyes on his shoes. He slowly looked up and, when he saw who was standing in front of him, breathed a sigh of relief and slumped against the door jamb.

"Thank God!" Remus breathed. Recalling that he should let them in, he held the door open. "Come in. Harry and Sirius are in the sitting room." Arthur and Molly followed Charlie into the dark house.

Charlie stopped Remus. "How is Harry with all of this?"

Remus shook his head. Not good, I'm afraid. He's terrified. I'm pretty much certain that he thought Draco Malfoy would choose him just to torture him."

"That would have been difficult, considering that Draco was on the same list as Harry."

Remus chuckled darkly as he herded them through the hallway to the sitting room. "I would have paid money to have seen Lucius Malfoy's face. This is too good!"

Looking at the older man, Charlie could see the remnants of the Marauder he once was. Harry was fortunate that Remus had gone with Sirius that day to the Ministry. If it hadn't been for Remus' quick thinking, Sirius would have fallen into the Veil. As it was, both men had been hit slightly with the curse Bellatrix Lestrange had thrown at her cousin. Harry had immediately placed her in the full body bind and waited for the Aurors to arrive. Voldemort had apparated directly to where Bellatrix was lying and Harry, having seen his opportunity, took him down, once and for all. The Killing curse had worked. They were all free.

"Let me go first. I want to reassure them that it's alright." Charlie opened the door and stepped into the sitting room. Just in time to hear Sirius' shout of "Harry!" and watch Harry fall gracelessly to the floor, hitting his head on the low table in front of the sofa.

Charlie leapt across the room and lifted Harry, turned and placed him gently on the sofa. He checked Harry's head to make sure he wasn't bleeding, before looking up into Sirius Black's confused eyes.

"You're the man who chose Harry?" The look of hope lighting those grey eyes was humbling. Charlie had never seen anyone look at him as a saviour before. It was a little disconcerting.

"Yes. I was given first choice. Once I saw Harry's name, my choice was made." Charlie flushed lightly. "I wouldn't let anything happen to him." Charlie looked away. "He would have been my only choice anyway." He missed seeing Remus' wide eyes and Sirius' gaping mouth because he chose to look at Harry.

Molly and Arthur stood silently, just inside the doorway to the sitting room. Remus took Sirius' arm and led him out of the room. "Let's go to the kitchen. There are some things we need to discuss and we might as well do it where they can't hear us."

~OOooOO~

They followed Remus down the stairs to the kitchen. Kreacher, Sirius' slightly demented house elf, was putting on water to boil and arranging crackers on a plate.

"Lord Black wants tea?"

"Yes, Kreacher. Thank you." The elf's head shot up and tears filled the huge eyes. He ran to Sirius and hugged his leg before running back to the stove and happily started making cups of tea for everyone. Remus hid his grin before Sirius saw it. The elf was becoming more stable since Sirius had had his mother's portrait ripped off of the wall. It couldn't have been easy, living here with just a foul-mouthed portrait of a dead woman for company. The elf seemed to realize that Sirius was actually a good person and had warmed up to him greatly.

They all sat at the scratched kitchen table. Sirius raised his head and looked at Charlie's parents. Molly and Arthur could tell that Sirius had been crying. Wanting to reassure the two men, Arthur cleared his throat and spoke.

"I want to let you know that Harry's name was the only name that Charlie considered. Once I got him to actually look at the names, it took him about half a minute to choose Harry."

Sirius nodded, releasing a relieved sigh. "This has been absolute hell for Harry today. We didn't know, until we got the Ministry's letter this morning, that they were actually doing this. Remy had heard rumors, but no one had any real proof. When did you receive your letter?"

"Late last night. I explained it to everyone else, but Charlie had been out of the house and I didn't get to see him until this morning. He had right of first choice. Fred and George were next, followed by Ron and Ginny. The Ministry said that, since we were one of the oldest families, we could go first. I had a hard time getting Charlie to look at the list. Fred had already made his choice."

"Did Fred know that Charlie would choose Harry?"

"Yes, he told me that Charlie has had a thing for Harry since the Tri-Wizard Tournament, but wouldn't act on it because of Harry's age."

Kreacher set the tea cups in front of everyone and laid an envelope next to Sirius' cup and one next to Arthur's. "Owl come for you, Lord Black. One for you, too, Mr. Wheezy."

The letter also proved to be from the Ministry. Sirius' features darkened as he read the letter. Arthur's brows drew together in a frown. Remus and Molly looked at each other, confusion on their faces.

"Is this a _**joke**_?" Sirius threw the letter at Remus as Arthur handed his to Molly and ran a hand over his now pale face.

_Dear Lord Sirius Orion Black,_

_As the legal guardian of one Lord Harry James Potter, it is your duty to ensure that his bonding to Charles Adam Weasley is consummated. Therefore, you and your bond-mate, Lord Consort Remus John Black, are required to witness the act of consummation between them and report back to the Ministry of Magic. A pensieve memory will be required from either yourself or Lord Consort Black, in order to confirm that said consummation did take place._

_Thank you for your cooperation._

_Sincerely, _

_Amelia Bones_

_Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement_

Remus let the parchment drop to the table as he stared at Sirius. "They want us to _**WHAT?**_"

Arthur looked at them. "I'm going to assume that your letter reads like ours. We have to be witnesses to...to..." A single tear rolled down his cheek. "It isn't bad enough that they're forcing our children to do this, but to _**require**_ that we watch? This is wrong...so, so wrong."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thank you to TrippingOverYou for being my wonderful beta! Kissies!**_

~OOooOO~

Charlie sat and waited for Harry to wake, his eyes running over the still form of his husband-to-be. He didn't want to force Harry to do anything, but he knew that, once the bonding happened, they had 24 hours to consummate the bond. He noticed Harry's lashes flickering and moved to take his hand.

"Mmmm" Harry's eyes popped open and he sat straight up, looking around him nervously. He saw Charlie and his mouth dropped open. "Are you...um...did you pick me?"

"Yes. I was given the right of first choice. I picked you."

Harry closed his eyes to ward off the tears he could feel forming. He had been attracted to Charlie since he had gone to the World Cup two years previous. He hadn't known that Charlie was gay, but he was very happy to find out that he was.

"Are you alright, Harry?"

Harry shook his head 'no' and bowed his head. Charlie pulled Harry's unresisting body into his arms and held him. "I'm sorry about this Harry, I didn't find out until this morning. Once I saw your name, I knew who my choice would be." He felt Harry's body shake as he tried to fight back his sobs. "Please don't cry, Love. I promise, I'll do whatever I can to make sure you're happy."

"It-It's not that, Ch-Charlie. I don't want to force you into anything. This _**mess**_" he spat the word, "is forcing people to bond with others they don't know."

"You're not forcing me to do anything, this is the Ministry's doing, not yours."

"I know, but you had to choose and you got stuck with me." The tears started again and Charlie tightened his arms around Harry.

"I didn't get 'stuck'. I _**chose**_ you."

They were interrupted by the sound of the fire flaring up. As they looked to the hearth, Fred Weasley stepped through, but they could only see his back. He was holding someone, supporting their weight. Charlie stood and moved to his brother's side, to see what was happening. His eyes grew wide when he saw who his brother held and the state they were in.

"Harry, go get Mum and tell her to bring her wand. Ask Sirius if he has any pain potions and bruise balm."

Harry took off out of the room and returned shortly with all the adults that had been in the kitchen. Molly moved to where Fred knelt by the sofa, nudging Charlie out of her way. As Charlie backed away from the sofa, everyone could see Draco Malfoy laying on the cushions. His face was swollen and bruised, blood dripped from a cut under his left eye and his nose. He was cradling his left arm; it was obviously broken.

Fred moved to the end of the sofa, gently stroking Draco's blonde hair, which was also matted with still wet blood. Harry went to stand behind the sofa and Charlie placed an arm around his waist. Remus left the room and came back with bandages, a sling and several phials of potions.

He handed Molly one of the phials. "Dreamless Sleep. You'll be able to heal him better if he's not awake for it." She nodded and coaxed Draco into drinking the potion. He gave her a look of thanks before slipping into sleep. They all watched as Molly, joined by Remus, began to heal Draco's injuries.

"Who did this to him?" Molly's voice was husky with anger. It didn't matter who he was, no one deserved to be beaten like this.

"His father." Fred was shaking with anger. He explained that, when he had gone to inform the Malfoys that he had chosen Draco, Lucius had exploded and began physically beating his son. Lucius had known that Draco was gay, but hadn't known until that morning that Draco was a carrier. Fred and Draco had been in a relationship for the last three months and, when Fred had seen his name, he had written the Ministry immediately, informing them of his choice.

Fred had summoned Aurors and Lucius was heading to prison, again, for endangering the life of not only a man capable of carrying a child, but also his own son. Fred had then carefully but swiftly flooed with Draco to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, knowing that Molly would be there, and could heal Draco.

Arthur motioned to Charlie and he moved Harry over to stand next to Sirius. Arthur placed an arm around Fred's shoulders. "He'll be fine Son. The only person I can think of better than your Mum at healing these injuries would be Poppy Pomfrey."

Molly looked up at Arthur. "That's not a bad idea Arthur, go and get Poppy, I don't know how to scan for internal injuries." Arthur nodded and left for Hogwarts via the floo. He returned within a few minutes with the medi-witch. Fred explained the situation to her, including about reporting all injuries to the Aurors.

She immediately began scanning Draco's entire body for internal injuries and internal bleeding. "His left leg is fractured, he has two broken ribs and a punctured lung. If you could step back, Molly." She began to chant healing spells to take care of the internal injuries. Once she was done healing his broken leg, she checked over the healing Molly had done and then she looked up at Molly. "We need to report the injuries we've found to the Aurors. Come with me and we'll get this over and done with." The two women walked to the hearth and flooed to the Ministry building.

Fred moved back to sit next to Draco's head. He began to cast spells to clean up the blood from Draco's hair and face. Harry drew his wand and began to fix Draco's clothing and to get rid of the blood on those. Sirius removed his shoes and socks and covered his cousin with a blanket.

"Thanks everyone. Draco told me about this, but he didn't know which list he'd be on. Then again, neither did I. I've never seen anything like that, and I hope I don't again. The Aurors said that, most likely, his father would be stripped of his title and his properties and they would be handed over to Draco. If that's so, I'm going to take his last name. There are plenty of Weasleys to carry on our name, but he's the only Malfoy left." Arthur agreed.

Charlie looked at Harry. "I'll do the same, you're the last Potter. Bill's already married with one on the way, Who knows what's happening with Percy. And then there's still George and Ron. Is that alright with you?" He slid an arm around Harry's shoulders. "Harry?"

Harry nodded and wrapped his arms around himself. He was still in shock over what Draco's father had done to him. He knew Lucius Malfoy was a horrible man, but this went beyond anything he'd seen a parent do to their own child. He stood staring at the wall, suddenly immersed in his own memories.

_**FLASHBACK**_:

_"Boy! Get your lazy arse down here, NOW!"_

_"Yes, Uncle Vernon" Harry wondered what he'd done now. Then again, with Vernon, he could have been breathing too loud. Harry slowly walked down the stairs, taking his time. He was fairly certain his left leg was broken, but he wasn't going to complain. Complaining only ended in more pain._

_He walked into the sitting room and his jaw was met by his uncle's fist. Harry hadn't been expecting it, so he fell backwards, hitting his head on the door jamb. Another fist connected with Harry's jaw again and Harry heard a sickening crunch._

_"Do you know why I'm doing this? Well, do you BOY?"_

_Harry shook his head carefully, he wasn't sure he'd be able to speak right now._

_"Dudley told me that he told you to clean his room...AND YOU REFUSED! You don't refuse to do anything that we tell you to do, got that FREAK?" Harry nodded this time. He felt his uncle's fist connect with his nose and he knew from the blood and lack of feeling that it was broken again._

_Harry distantly heard the crack of someone apparating in the kitchen but couldn't say anything. Vernon kicked him in the side and Harry heard another sickening crunch, the sound of more broken ribs. The last thing he heard was Sirius scream "Harry!" and Remus' voice shout "Stupefy!"_

_**END FLASHBACK**_

Sirius was watching Harry closely, knowing what the look on his face meant. He quickly stopped Charlie from touching him again and quietly began speaking. "Harry? C'mon Bambi. We're here, nothing's going to happen to you. You need to come back to us." He laid a gentle hand on Harry's shoulder but pulled it back when Harry dropped to the floor and curled into a tight ball. Ignoring the shock on Charlie's face, he got down on his hands and knees and tried to get Harry to come out of his memories.

Remus pulled Charlie over to the second sofa in the room and started to explain. "Harry's relatives abused him...badly. We finally won custody last summer, right before he turned 15, and went to his Aunt and Uncle's house to get him. His uncle was beating the hell out of him when we apparated in. They had been abusing him for years." Remus sighed. "He sometimes gets like this and Sirius is about the only one who can reach him. I'm going to assume he's never told any of you about this."

Charlie, Arthur and Fred all shook their heads. Fred looked down at Draco and then back at Harry. "Harry's situation is worse, he'd had years of that. This is the first and last time Lucius Malfoy will ever touch Draco."

Arthur looked at the elder of his twins. "Draco may not have had the physical abuse, but, knowing Lucius Malfoy, there were probably years of mental abuse and torture. I guess we can assume that seeing Draco's injuries prompted Harry to remember his own?"

Remus nodded. "Yes. He's been fine for months, but just seeing what Lucius did to his son must have set Harry off. He should be coming out of it soon." He looked at Charlie. "I think, until you and Harry are used to each other, you should live here, even after the bonding."

"I agree. If Sirius is the only one who can reach him when he's like this, it's better for us to be near you."

Sirius looked up at Charlie. "I can't get him to come out of it. Charlie, can you come try? You were the last one touching him before this happened, maybe he'll recognize your touch." He stood, but didn't move from Harry's side.

Charlie knelt down next to Harry. "Harry? Love? We need you to come back to us now. We're all here. Me, Sirius, Remus, my Dad, Fred...we won't let anyone hurt you ever again."

Harry could hear the smooth voice and was comforted by it. He began to place the memories back where they belonged. Locked away. He blinked his eyes and saw Charlie on his knees next to him. He turned his head and Sirius knelt back down. He looked back at Charlie, sat up and dove into his lap. Charlie fell on his arse, forced by Harry's body connecting with his own. He brought his arms up and hugged the teen tightly, whispering that he was safe and that no one would hurt him again.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Thank you to TrippingOverYou for being my wonderful beta! Kissies!**_

~OOooOO~

Shortly after Molly and Madam Pomfrey returned from Auror Headquarters, they received a visitor in the form of Narcissa Malfoy. She fire-called first, to make sure she would be able to come through and that no one would hex her. She immediately asked about Draco and was shown to the room where he was resting. Sirius, who had taken her to her son, was surprised when she broke down in tears before he had even left the room. This was not the Narcissa Malfoy that everyone knew, this was Cissy, the cousin he had been close to before she'd been forced to marry Lucius Malfoy.

He retreated, leaving Narcissa with her son and his intended bond-mate, and headed back down the stairs to see if Harry was still okay. He had relaxed and allowed Charlie to comfort him, but no one else had been able to get near him, he would flinch away whenever someone came close. Sirius knew that trusting a bond-mate was very important for the stability of a bond, but he also needed to make sure Harry was going to be alright, he was his godson after all. He quietly entered the sitting room and knelt on the floor next to where Harry sat, still in Charlie's arms. Harry looked up at him and dove into his arms.

"I'm sorry Siri, I'm really sorry."

"What are you sorry for Bambi? You have nothing to apologize for. You can't control when your memories hit you like that." He hugged the teen tightly, trying to calm him as much as he could.

"I thought it was over...it's been months since I had an attack. I thought it was over." Harry kept repeating those words under his breath, shaking slightly. Sirius looked at Charlie and motioned him over with his hand. Charlie slid his arms around both of them, holding on to his husband-to-be and his godfather. Remus came back into the room and, seeing them on the floor, joined them, adding his arms to the group hug.

Harry began to feel more calm. This was his family, Sirius, Remus and Charlie. He had already accepted Charlie as his bond-mate; he knew it was going to happen and he couldn't have picked anyone that he would want to spend the rest of his life with more than Charlie. He knew that there were things that they had to talk about, such as his title and everything that went with it, but he wanted to enjoy this feeling of family for just a few moments more.

Eventually Harry pulled back slightly and everyone's arms reluctantly let go of each other. "We need to talk about stuff, don't we?"

Sirius smiled slightly. "Yes Harry. There are things that you and Charlie aren't aware of that go along with this bond. Why don't we go into the kitchen? I think that Molly and Arthur are there and, if I know Molly, she's probably cooking something to calm her nerves." They all laughed as they got off of the floor and headed down into the large kitchen.

Just as Sirius had predicted, Molly was bustling about the kitchen, cooking and baking up a storm. There were already several bowls of food on the table and it looked like several more things were cooking on the stove. Kreacher stood off to one side, staring at the witch with a combination of horror and awe. He tried to stop Molly a couple of times, but she just looked down at him and shook her head. "I'm sorry Kreacher, I need to keep busy right now and I cook to keep busy. If you want to help me you can get some more bowls and platters out, so that I have a place to put this when it's done cooking." The elf looked pleased that he had something to do and hurried to get the required dishes.

Harry and Charlie sat at the table while Remus and Sirius leaned against a counter, keeping well out of Molly's way. "Alright, someone please tell me what we have to do and when we have to have it done by."

Sirius sighed and looked at Arthur, who returned his look with a nervous one of his own. "Well, Bambi, it's like this...the Ministry has decided that not only do you have to bond with Charlie as quickly as possible, but we have to...um...we need to...ah..."

"What Sirius is trying to say, boys, is that the Ministry has ordered that we, Molly, Sirius, Remus and I, have to confirm that the bond has been consummated."

Charlie straightened in his chair and looked at the rest of the adults in the room. "When you say 'confirm', does that mean that they want you to watch the consummation?"

Molly stayed facing the stove, gripping her spoon tightly, but the three older men looked at each other and nodded as one. "Yes, son, that is exactly what I meant. The Ministry is requiring that we send a pensieve memory from either your mother or me and one from either Sirius or Remus to confirm that your bond was completed."

Harry turned white and shook his head. "That's _**disgusting**_! Why would they want something like that?"

Arthur looked at Harry and shook his head. "I don't know Harry. I just received another letter requiring the same for Fred and Draco, so it's not just your bond that they want proof of, I believe it is going to be all of them."

They heard a piercing shriek from upstairs and turned to look at the door. Sirius dropped his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I think Cissy just got her letter." They heard a flurry of running footsteps on the stairs and the door to the kitchen was flung open.

A shoeless Narcissa Malfoy stood in the doorway, her hair escaping its bun, face flaming. "Siri, please tell me this is a joke! Please tell me this is not real!" Tightly clutched in the fingers of her right hand was a letter from the Ministry.

"I'm sorry Cissy, it's not; we got one for Harry. Arthur and Molly have two, so far, one for Charlie and one for Fred."

She turned horrified eyes on Arthur. "You have to do this _**TWICE?**_"

Molly walked over and led Narcissa to a seat. "It's worse than that, Mrs. Malfoy..."

"Call me Cissy, please. I've always hated using my full name."

"Alright Cissy, I'm Molly and it's much worse than that. We have five unmarried children."

"_**FIVE?**_ Merlin, how are you going to be able to do that? I'm going to have enough of a problem with just Draco!" Just then, they all became aware of three more owls waiting outside of the window. Sirius sighed and opened it; the owls all flew to land on the table in front of Arthur.

"Well, it looks like George, Ron and Ginny have all made their choices," Arthur said with a small grin, trying to inject some humour into the situation. He removed the letters and the owls flew back out of the window. He opened the first..."No surprise, George chose Angelina." He moved on to the next letter..."And Ron chose Hermione." Harry breathed a sigh of relief as Arthur slowly picked up the last letter. Harry thought he knew what would be in the last letter, but he said nothing, he didn't know if Ginny was still dating..."Bloody Hell!" Yes, it looked like she was.

"Arthur? What is it, what's wrong?" Molly quickly crossed the room to stand next to her husband.

"Blaise Zabini! Ginny chose Blaise Zabini!"

Harry hid his head in Charlie's shoulder. Charlie leaned over and whispered, "Did you know about this?" Harry nodded slightly.

Narcissa looked over at Arthur. "He's not so bad, you know. He was neutral."

Arthur looked at Harry who nodded in agreement. "He was, he refused to get involved. It caused a lot of problems between him and the Slytherins who were the children of Death Eaters. Only Draco and Pansy Parkinson stood behind him and his choice."

Arthur sat looking at the letter for a long moment. He sighed and placed it on top of the rest. "Alright then, what's next?"

Harry spoke up. "We need to talk about my title and the properties and stuff." He turned to Charlie. "When you said you'd take my last name, did you mean it?"

"Yes, you're the last Potter, your name needs to be carried on. Bill, Percy, George and Ron will carry on the Weasley name. Not only that, but if there's a title involved, I have to take your name, I won't have a choice."

"Why not?"

"Because, Bambi," Sirius broke into the conversation, "Even though the Weasleys are one of the oldest wizarding families, they don't have a title like you, Draco and I do. The titulary laws are non-negotiable; they state that, if the person marrying into a titled family does not have a title of their own, they must assume the name of the titled party, meaning you."

"Alright, so Charlie has to take my name, does he get a title, too?"

Remus smiled at Harry. "Yes Pup, he does. His title will be the same as mine, Lord Consort. Fred will have the title of Lord Consort Malfoy."

"Okay, now about the properties and money and stuff. What goes on with them?"

"They remain yours. If you choose to give one of the properties to Charlie, only then will it be in his name only. The same goes for the vaults. Once the bond has been confirmed, the freeze placed on your inheritance will be lifted and you will come into everything at once. It wouldn't happen normally until you turn seventeen, but that changes if you marry before that age."

Charlie turned to Harry. "When do you want this to take place? I don't want to rush you into anything, but the Ministry is going to want our bond to be one of the first, seeing as you are The Boy Who Lived."

Harry grabbed Charlie's arm and pulled him out of the kitchen, leaving the adults looking at each other in confusion. He dragged Charlie back to the sitting room and made him sit on the sofa. Once he let go of Charlie's arm, he began to pace rapidly back and forth. To Charlie, he seemed to be building up the courage to say something, so Charlie let him think in peace.

"Alright. They want this done quickly. How much time after the ceremony do we have before we have to consummate the bond?"

"Twenty-four hours from the time the ceremony ends."

Harry stopped and stared at Charlie. "Damn! It's a good thing I already know you or that could be really fucking awkward."

Charlie stared back, he wasn't used to hearing Harry swear. "You know, I think that's the first time I've heard you say more than damn or bloody hell. I wasn't sure you really knew how to swear."

Harry chuckled as he came to sit beside Charlie. "I don't like to swear, the Dursleys always told Dudley that it was a sign of inferior breeding."

"Yeah, like they're ones to talk." Harry took a moment to shake off the memories, not willing to let them come out again.

"Let's get this over and done with. I don't want to prolong the waiting, it'll only make it worse if the press has more time to write fake stories. I don't want to subject you to that."

"Unfortunately Harry, the press is part of the whole Boy Who Lived persona, I knew that when I chose you. The press isn't something we can avoid."

"True, but if we get the bonding out of the way, there will be less for them to speculate on." Harry paused, and then took a deep breath. "I want to be bonded to you, I've had feelings for you for a while now and I can't think of anyone else I'd rather spend the rest of my life with. I don't know how you feel, but I'm hoping we can make this work."

Charlie placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and turned him slightly, so that they faced each other. "Harry, I've had feelings for you for a while too, since the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Watching you out-fly a dragon had to be one of the most thrilling things I've ever seen, not to mention one of the scariest. I think we can make this work...I _**know**_ we can make this work. The feelings are already there for both of us, we just have to nurture them."

Harry leaned in hesitantly, he wanted to kiss Charlie, but wasn't sure if kissing a bloke was any different than kissing a girl. The only kiss he'd had, with Cho, hadn't really been a pleasant experience. It never was when your snogging partner cried. He lightly pressed his lips against Charlie's and was stunned by the feeling of how _**right**_ it felt. Charlie placed his hands on Harry's hips and pulled him in closer to his chest, angling his head to deepen the kiss. When Harry felt Charlie's tongue swiping back and forth along the seam of his lips, he opened his mouth and was rewarded with a heartfelt groan from Charlie. Harry wrapped an arm around Charlie's neck, holding him tightly, while his other hand moved up to slide through the dark red hair. Harry moaned and came up to his knees; never breaking the kiss, he straddled Charlie's lap to get closer.

Charlie wanted this kiss, oh how he wanted it, but, if he didn't stop it soon he would be hard pressed to keep from taking Harry right there on the sofa. He moved his hands down to cup Harry's arse, reveling in the feeling of the taut muscles shifting slightly under his fingers. He flexed his fingers slowly and felt, rather than heard, Harry's low moan of pleasure. How long they had been snogging or how long they would have continued, they never knew because a knock came on the door separating them.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Thank you to TrippingOverYou for being my wonderful beta! Kissies!**_

~OOooOO~

When he heard the knock on the door, Harry broke the kiss and pulled his head away slightly. He kept eye contact with Charlie as he lifted his hand and gently touched Charlie's lips. He watched as Charlie's eyes dilated, the pupils becoming so large that there was only a small ring of blue around the edge. If he had been able to see his own eyes, he would have seen that his did the same, the green of his eyes almost blending with the black of his pupils. Charlie groaned and pulled Harry back into another snog. Neither of them heard the door open, or the gasp that Molly let out before quickly closing the door again.

She turned to the men behind her and caught Sirius' eye. "If you don't go in and stop them, we're going to have to witness this now, before the bonding even happens!"

Sirius took a deep breath and opened the door. Without looking at the couple on the sofa, he walked into the room and stood in front of the mantle. He cleared his throat and they jumped apart as if they'd been burned. "Sorry to interrupt, but we need to plan your bonding ceremony. Judging from how well you two get along, it might as well be sooner rather than later."

Harry looked at Charlie, still panting slightly, and he nodded back at Harry. "As soon as possible." He heard the others file in behind them and close the door. "How long will it take to arrange?"

The men let Molly take over, now that Harry and Charlie were no longer joined at the lips. She went into a little detail, going over what had to be done, what had to be bought and how long it would probably take to get it all done. "So, at the very least, we would need one week to arrange everything. It would be better if it was two weeks, but we can make do if you're set on having it done quickly."

Charlie leaned in to whisper in Harry's ear and he nodded in agreement. "Two weeks will be fine. I know you've wanted to plan a wedding, since you didn't have that much to do with Bill's. You can plan to your heart's content with this one, as long as it's held two weeks from today." Harry knew they had made the right choice when Molly's eyes lit up and she smiled broadly.

She grabbed Sirius' arm and dragged him back to the kitchen to plan. He went, dragging his feet and complaining the entire way. Arthur and Remus sat down on either side of Harry and Charlie and began to explain what was going to happen. They already knew that they would be bonded for the rest of their lives, but Remus explained that there were several types of bonds, some that were barely stronger than a regular marriage and some that bound their magic together. These bonds required the mixing of their blood and magic during the ceremony and would allow them several advantages over a simple bonding, such as the ability to communicate mentally with each other.

Charlie felt that binding their magic together would be a good idea, as there were probably still people out there who wanted to harm Harry. Harry agreed and suggested that they go talk to Molly and Sirius about arranging that type of bonding. They all went into the kitchen to find Sirius with his head in his hands, listening to Molly spew information about what they would need to make the bonding happen within the next two weeks. He looked up with relief in his eyes when they entered the kitchen.

"Please save me! I don't know the first thing about bonding ceremonies, I've only been to one and I was one of the participants!" Molly glared at him, trying to draw his attention away from the others.

Arthur took pity on him and explained to Molly what kind of bonding it was going to be. She agreed and set off on a different tangent, this time dragging Remus with her. Sirius escaped with Arthur to discuss some of the other arrangements, leaving Harry and Charlie alone. They walked out into the garden and sat on one of the benches strewn about the large space.

"Do you think we ought to have Fred and Draco bond at the same time as us? Your mum and Mrs. Malfoy could plan the ceremonies and it would save everyone else from stepping on their toes, plus Sirius and Remus won't be forced into helping."

Charlie hugged Harry tightly, pleased that he had thought of a way to make this easier on all of them. They called Molly out and made the suggestion to her and, seeing the fire in her eyes at the suggestion, were glad that they were letting her plan the ceremony completely. They would have hated to get on her bad side about anything. She took off into the house, presumably to find Narcissa to ask how she felt about a combined ceremony. After a few minutes, they looked up as a window opened above them and Fred and Draco stuck their heads out.

"Thank you! Mother was up here driving us spare with plans when Mrs. Weasley came in and said that you had suggested having a double ceremony. They've gone off now and, hopefully, will leave us alone about it."

"You're welcome. We didn't want anything to do with the planning either. This way, it's one ceremony, one celebration and one mess to clean up. There's plenty of room here, do you want to hold it here, in the garden, or somewhere else?"

Draco looked at Fred and then looked back down at Harry. "Here's fine. I'm not sure I want to hold it at the Manor. We're going to have to live there for the rest of our lives, I want the ceremony to take place somewhere else." It went without saying that Draco was thinking of the memories of his father attacking him. Harry understood, probably more than anyone else could.

Fred and Draco withdrew their heads and went back to talking, leaving Harry and Charlie alone again. "Are you sure you're alright with this Harry? I don't want to rush things with you."

"I'm fine Charlie. After that episode in the sitting room, I think I would rather have the ceremony tomorrow, but I want to give your Mum a chance to plan at least one. With Mrs. Malfoy planning the bonding, we can be assured of having as tasteful a wedding as she can give us. She'll pull out all the stops for Draco."

Charlie hugged Harry to his chest and bent his head slightly to find his lips. He knew that it wouldn't take much for him to fall in love with Harry. He had been fighting his feelings for two years because he didn't want anyone to think he was disgusting for feeling like he did for someone underage. A thought suddenly struck him. "Harry, when's your birthday?"

"Next Saturday. Why?"

"Not that it makes much of a difference, but I was hoping you would be of age before the bonding takes place. That way, I can say you were legal when I first got to make love to you."

"I've never..." Harry blushed and hid his face in Charlie's neck. "If it didn't matter for the bond, I'd say let's go to my room now."

A flash of shock ran through Charlie, he hadn't expected Harry to be a virgin; Merlin knew that, at sixteen, he certainly hadn't been. A wicked smile crossed his face, but he controlled it...no need to scare Harry now. "It isn't necessary for the bond, but it is nice when one of the partners can teach the other everything they need to know."

Harry wound his arms around Charlie's neck and pressed his lips to the corner of his mouth. "You sure you don't want to teach me now?" He tilted his hips slightly, so that they came into contact with Charlie's. A hiss of indrawn breath and hands pulling his hips into Charlie's were his reward. Harry wedged his knee in between Charlie's and began to move slightly, just enough for both of them to feel the movement, but not enough to draw attention to either of them from the kitchen. Charlie found Harry's mouth with his and pressed his hips closer to Harry's, the motion drawing gasps from both of them. Charlie knew he should wait, but Harry was making it difficult for him to remember why.

Charlie picked Harry up and carried him to a more secluded bench, surrounded by bushes. He lay Harry down onto the seat and covered his body with his own. "We stay dressed...I want to be able to teach you what you need to know in two weeks." He attacked Harry's mouth again, this time adding the pressure of his hips down onto Harry's. He could feel the erection his future bond-mate was sporting and began to rock back and forth against him. Harry tore his lips away to moan and whimper, pleading with Charlie to go faster. Charlie changed the motions from just rocking to a slow thrust and grind. He had to cover Harry's mouth with his again, so that no one could hear the moans they were both making.

Harry was awash in the sensations Charlie was causing. He had never gone farther than snogging before and he couldn't believe how fantastic this felt, even though they were still clothed. He began to thrust his hips up to meet Charlie's and knew it wouldn't be long before he came. He felt Charlie begin to speed up the thrusts and to push harder against him. The sensations were overwhelming and he was glad that Charlie was snogging him because, when he came, he would have screamed if he weren't.

Charlie felt Harry stiffen underneath him and heard his muffled scream as he reached orgasm. He felt the tingling in his spine and gave two more thrusts before he fell over the edge. He ripped his mouth away from Harry's and arched his back, biting his lower lip to keep from screaming himself. He felt himself go limp and he collapsed onto Harry.

Harry had never seen anything like Charlie when he came; the muscles in his neck stood out as he strained to keep from making any noise, his head was thrown back as he arched his back to grind against him one last time. A look of absolute pleasure came over his face before he went limp. Harry's arms came up to hold him to his chest, running his fingers up and down the man's back as Charlie struggled to breathe.

Charlie moved his head from the curve of Harry's neck so that he could kiss him again; all the heat and urgency was gone, this was just a simple kiss of caring and affection.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Thank you to TrippingOverYou for being my wonderful beta! Kissies!**_

~OOooOO~

The next two weeks went by fairly quickly. Molly and Narcissa had them all in and out of stores, trying on robes and clothing, and buying last minute things for the ceremonies. The Aurors had been correct, Lucius Malfoy's title and possessions had all been transferred to Draco, so he was now Lord Malfoy. With his money paying for half of the purchases and Sirius' paying for the other half, this was going to be a bonding to remember. Harry had argued that he should pay for his half, but Sirius refused to allow it.

"You are my godson...I will pay for your bonding. Don't try to talk me out of it." He sat on a sofa and pulled Harry down next to him. "You are my son. Until Remy and I are successful in getting me pregnant, you are my only child. Let me pay for your wedding...please?" When it was put like that, Harry found that he couldn't say no.

The invitations had been sent and had all been responded to. Only one person had declined to attend, but the four of them reckoned that they could live without seeing Percy again. With some of the things he had said about Harry and Dumbledore, not many of the Weasleys bore him much love. He had made his choices, they just had to let him live with them.

The night before the bonding ceremony, everyone found themselves in the huge kitchen at Grimmauld Place. Molly and Narcissa were trying not to be weepy, but were failing miserably. Arthur and Severus had taken it upon themselves to remove the ladies from the room, so that the men could introduce Harry and Draco to the finer aspects of Firewhiskey.

Albus Dumbledore swapped slightly drunken stories about Lily and James Potter's wedding with Sirius and Remus, giving Harry more information about his parents. Some of it he could have done without knowing, like when his father had decided to have a little fun during the reception and had crawled underneath his mother's dress. Draco seemed a little ill at ease until Fred got him going about new pranks they could pull on people. Draco, it seemed, had a wicked sense of humour that Fred and George were going to put to good use.

Harry leaned into Charlie and rested his head on his shoulder. "Where are we going to live? I know we're staying here for a little while, but where are we going after I graduate?" Charlie opened his mouth, but was interrupted by Draco before he could respond.

"Please come live with us at the Manor! There's more than enough room and we're going to be bored as hell there after we graduate next year." Draco had taken a true liking to Harry, once he got to know him away from his father's influences.

Harry looked at Charlie and shrugged. "Sirius said that I've got at least one property that's rather nice, but if we want to live at the Manor for a little while, that's fine with me."

Charlie saw the pleading look his brother was throwing him and couldn't find it in himself to say no. "I think it sounds like a good idea. That way, when we want to have the families over, there will be more than enough room for all of us." He had told the reserve in Romania what was going on and had gone to get his things from his cabin. The director was sorry to see him go, but he said that he understood.

With future living arrangements taken care of, the men went back to the important task of getting the soon-to-be bonded drunk. Severus disappeared at one point; no one knew where he had gone until they found their beds that night and saw phials of a hangover potion sitting on their bedside tables.

~OOooOO~

Charlie woke the next morning and felt like he had a herd of centaurs trampling around in his head. Without opening his eyes he reached for the phial of hangover potion. He cracked his eyelids, just to confirm what he was about to swallow, before closing them again and knocking back the potion. The effect was almost immediate; he felt the centaurs stamp their hooves petulantly for a moment before the herd went away. He rolled over and tried to sit up, almost falling out of the bed before he succeeded. He sat for a minute, trying to get his bearings, before standing and making his way to the bathroom.

The ceremony was to be held at 2 pm, so he had plenty of time to continue to wake up before he needed to be coherent. The door was closed, so he leaned against the wall, trying to force his brain to work properly. He heard the door open and out bounded an over-excited Sirius. He took one look at Charlie and proceeded to laugh loudly at the state he was in. Charlie growled at him and pushed his way past Sirius into the bathroom. He had to chuckle when he got a look at himself in the mirror; his hair was standing on end, like he'd received an electric shock and the whites of his eyes were just now beginning to be white again, instead of bloodshot red.

He shook his head as he relieved himself; he hadn't been that drunk in quite some time. He blamed it on the muggle drinks that Remus had insisted upon mixing for all of them. He knew he'd had something called a Slammer, a drink that Remus had learned to make on a sojourn in the United States. He didn't know what was in it, but it had tasted like fruit punch, and he lost count of how many he'd had to drink. He didn't even want to think about how Harry felt this morning, if _**he**_ felt this bad.

He got into the shower and scrubbed himself clean. As he was rinsing off, he heard the door open. "Charlie? Sorry for not waiting, but I've really got to go." Harry stumbled into the bathroom and, not even looking in the direction of the shower, emptied his bladder, sighing loudly as he did. Fortunately for Charlie, the water was heated magically, so when Harry flushed the toilet, he didn't get hit with an icy blast of water.

Charlie stuck his head and arm out from behind the shower curtain to grab Harry's arm as he was washing his hands, stopping him from leaving. "I know it's supposed to be bad luck to see each other before the ceremony, but I want one kiss first." Harry laughed quietly and allowed himself to be drawn into a very wet, sloppy kiss. He broke away and shook a finger at Charlie.

"No more of that until later. I'm going to use Siri's shower and then I think they're going to keep us separated until the ceremony." Charlie nodded, letting Harry leave. He quickly rinsed off and wrapped himself in a towel before heading back to his room. He startled Draco, standing right outside of the door, when he opened it.

"Didn't Harry just come out of...Oh! Sorry, I was just waiting to use the loo." Draco blushed and ducked his head.

"No, it isn't what you're thinking. He had to use the loo; he just chose to time it for when I was in the shower and couldn't get out."

Draco blushed again and slid past Charlie to get into the bathroom. "Well...erm...see you later!" The door slammed shut and Charlie had to chuckle again. He wouldn't have thought that Draco Malfoy would be embarrassed by seeing another man's naked chest, considering that he'd been looking at Fred's for close to three months. He continued back to his room, only to find his mother waiting for him, to help him dress.

~OOooOO~

The ceremony was everything they had hoped it would be. Quick and to the point, but extremely tasteful. Arthur did double duty as father of two of the men being bonded. Fortunately, Albus had decided to do Fred and Draco's bonding first, as it was less complicated. They had chosen the simple bonding because Draco's father was still alive and his magic could affect their bond. Once he had passed on or Draco decided to disown himself from his father, they would renew the bond; then they would be bonding their magic to each other.

Harry and Charlie's bond took a little longer to perform, since it involved mixing their blood as well as their magic. They knew that they would be a little disoriented for the first hour after the bonding, to give their magic time to settle down and accept the other. Harry actually had to keep Charlie from falling over as the wave of magic swept over them. Charlie had known that Harry was powerful, but hadn't realized just how powerful until their magic began to mix. It was like being hit by a wave that refused to crash into the shore; it just kept swirling around them until it figured out where it wanted to be.

The reception was held under a large tent in the garden, just steps away from where the ceremonies had taken place. It was intimate and fairly elegant, Narcissa had insisted that there were standards for the bonding of a Malfoy lord; she also thought that these standards should apply to the Potter lord as well. Ron had stood up for Harry and Bill had done the same for Charlie. For Draco and Fred's ceremony, George had stood up for his twin and Blaise Zabini had been there for his best friend. As they all sat and ate the excellently prepared food, Harry was glad that Draco had at least one friend that he could count on. Gregory Goyle was there with Pansy Parkinson, but Vincent Crabbe was conspicuously absent. Draco had made no comment on this, but Harry knew that it had hurt him that his friend had refused to come.

The guest list had been kept rather limited on purpose. Harry and Draco had agreed that they wanted no representatives from the Ministry at the ceremony; they would be getting enough of an eyeful later on. Other than the Weasleys, Sirius, Remus, Severus and Albus Dumbledore, only school mates of Fred, Harry and Draco had been invited along with a few people from the dragon reserve in Romania.

As the reception began to wind down, Harry was hit by a bad case of nerves. He knew the basics of what was going to happen; Sirius had sat him down and explained everything in excruciating detail. Harry never wanted to repeat that experience again as long as he lived; if he and Charlie had boys, he would make Charlie give them 'The Talk'.

Charlie could feel Harry's nervousness through the bond. He gently picked up Harry's hand and stroked it soothingly. "I know you're nervous and scared, but I promise that I'll make things as good for you as I possibly can. You know I would never hurt you, right?" Harry nodded. "Just keep that in mind. Hurting you would be hurting me, and I don't want that." He leaned in and pressed a kiss to his husband's lips. "I promise."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Thank you to TrippingOverYou for being my wonderful beta! Kissies!**_

_**THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER CONSISTS OF A SLASH/MALE ON MALE SEX SCENE! IF THIS SQUICKS YOU, PLEASE WAIT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!**_

~OOooOO~

Sirius, Narcissa and Arthur stood to one side of the tent, discussing how to 'witness' the consummations without it being too intrusive. Sirius thought for a moment and then his eyes lit up. Narcissa had seen that look before and was extremely curious.

"What have you thought of?"

"There's a spell that allows a wooden door to become see-through, but only one way. They won't be able to see us, but we'll be able to see what's going on in the room. We need to make sure that the beds are opposite of the doors, but from that point, we won't have to worry about them seeing us."

Arthur nodded. "That sounds like it would be the best way. They won't be too nervous if they can't see us." He and Sirius left to rearrange the rooms, so that the beds could be seen from the doorway. Arthur was going to witness Harry and Charlie's consummation while Molly would witness Fred and Draco's with Narcissa. Both Sirius and Remus were going to be witnesses with Arthur...they just _**knew**_ that the Ministry would require memories from both of them.

Once they were done moving the furniture, they went back to the reception, guessing that it was probably drawing to a close. Sirius saw Charlie comforting Harry and knew that Harry was nervous. He hadn't reacted well when he had spoken with him about what was going to happen...he had looked like he might actually be sick. Sirius knew Charlie, though, and knew that he wouldn't do anything to hurt Harry. They had spoken briefly that morning, while Remus was helping Harry get dressed, and Charlie had reassured the older man that he loved Harry and would do everything in his power to make him happy.

Molly moved to stand with Narcissa, signalling the end of the reception. Charlie helped Harry to stand, keeping an arm around his waist. He had the feeling that, if he removed his arm, Harry would fall over. Draco and Fred followed Molly and Narcissa out of the tent knowing that this had to be done and the sooner it got started, the sooner it would be over. Charlie led Harry to where Arthur, Sirius and Remus stood and nodded at them; they turned and walked into the house. Charlie still had his arm around Harry, which made walking up the stairs difficult, but he refused to let go. As they walked up the stairs, Sirius explained about the spell and what would happen.

The door to Draco and Fred's room was already closed, but they hadn't yet cast the spell. Charlie led Harry into the next room and closed the door. He knew that they would cast the spell on the two doors at the same time, so he just pulled his husband into his arms and held him.

"It's going to be alright Harry. I'm not going to harm you."

"I know...I just...Sirius said..."

Charlie sighed. "What did Sirius say?"

"He s-said that it m-may hurt the f-first time."

"He's right. It might hurt, but I'm going to do everything I can to make you feel good. I won't hurt you deliberately, you know that, right?" Harry nodded. "Did he explain what's going to happen?" Another nod. "I know that may have scared you, but I'm going to try to keep you from feeling much pain." As he spoke, his hands were roaming all over Harry's back and sides and he could feel the younger man relax in his arms. He brought his hands around to the front of Harry's shirt and felt him stiffen again. "I want you to think about that day in the garden, okay? I want you to concentrate on how good that felt." He felt Harry nod against his chest. "This will just take that experience one step further. You enjoyed that day, right?"

Harry nodded again and pried his fingers off of Charlie's waist; he moved his hands to mimic Charlie's as the memories of that day flooded through his mind. He had no idea how it happened, but the next thing he knew, both of their shirts were gone and Charlie lifted his chin with one finger so that he could capture his lips in a deep kiss. Charlie was happy that Harry wasn't just standing there, letting him do all the work. It meant that he was starting to relax again and, possibly, forgetting that they had an audience.

Sirius had never been more uncomfortable in his life. He knew he had to watch this, that he couldn't look away, but he felt that this was something that shouldn't be seen by others. He watched as Charlie reassured Harry, taking his time and making Harry comfortable with the process. Sirius felt Remus shift next to him and lean in. "He'll be fine...look at Charlie, he's doing whatever he can to make Harry feel alright about this. I know this isn't what we wanted for him, but Charlie will take care of him for us." Sirius nodded and slid his arm around Remus' shoulders to pull him in to his side.

Charlie's fingers began a slow trek down Harry's chest until they reached the slight trail of hair that led into the waistband of his trousers. The fingers paused for a moment as Charlie looked into Harry's eyes to get permission to continue. Harry knew that he didn't have to ask for that permission, but he felt better that he had. Harry nodded hesitantly and lifted his lips for another soul stealing kiss. By the time Charlie allowed him to think again, their trousers, shoes and socks were gone and they stood in the middle of the room in their pants. Harry looked down and chuckled at the sight of Charlie's boxers. They were bright Gryffindor scarlet with little gold snitches flying about all over them. His eyes met Charlie's and he nodded again as he felt those fingers dip below the waist of his own black boxer briefs.

Charlie led him over to lie down on the bed and immediately captured Harry's lips again. Harry now knew that Charlie was using those kisses to distract him when he felt Charlie remove Harry's pants and his own. His mind went completely blank, however, when he felt Charlie's hand on his cock. He gasped and arched his back, rising completely off of the bed. Not even that day in the garden compared to this!

Charlie didn't care if they had an audience; hell, he didn't care if the Ministry had sold tickets to the public. All he wanted was to make this good for Harry; he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't. He began to stroke Harry's erection slowly, listening to the soft gasps and moans that fell from Harry's lips. He leaned in again to kiss Harry and slowly stopped the stroking. He held out his hand and wordlessly summoned a jar of oil.

Arthur watched as his second oldest son prepared his husband for the consummation. He thought about his own life and he wondered if he had done himself an injustice by never experimenting when he was younger; but, then again, if he had, he probably wouldn't have had the wonderful family he did. He knew that he could have had children with another man, but they wouldn't be the ones he had now. _No, I did the right thing all those years ago._

Charlie continued to kiss Harry as his fingers prepared the smaller man. Harry was so very tight and Charlie knew he'd have to go slowly or risk breaking his promise not to hurt him. He added a third finger to the two already sliding gently in and out of Harry's body. He twisted his hand slightly, searching for that spot. Harry moaned and started to shake..._Got it_, he thought. He worked slowly, scissoring his fingers apart, trying to hit the bundle of nerves every time. He wanted to make this so good for Harry that he wasn't even concerned with his own pleasure. Sure, he would find his own pleasure, but not until Harry had found his.

Harry began to move his hips in time with Charlie's thrusting fingers. He didn't want to wait any longer, but he didn't have enough experience to tell whether he was ready or not. "Charlie...please! Oh please, now!"

"Just relax, Love, you're not quite ready yet." Charlie was waiting, going slow and Harry didn't want to wait. He wrapped his arms around Charlie's neck and pulled him down for another kiss. Right before their lips met, he whispered, "Now!"

Charlie couldn't take much more of the pleading; the sounds Harry was making were driving him spare. He sat on his knees in between Harry's legs, not removing his fingers and still stretching Harry. He finally moved his fingers away and poured more oil onto Harry's entrance. He also poured a large amount into his palm and began to slick up his own length. Harry had moved so that he was reclining on his elbows to watch what Charlie was doing, his eyes glued to the sight before him. He reached out one hand and helped Charlie spread the oil, smiling as Charlie's head dropped back at his first touch.

Charlie stopped him and leaned in for a quick kiss before straightening again and lining himself up with Harry's entrance. He gently pushed forward until the ring of muscles gave way to the pressure. Harry hissed slightly, but forced his body to relax. "Tell me if it hurts too badly." Harry shook his head frantically, so he continued to slowly enter Harry's body, one agonising inch at a time. Harry was astonished that it didn't hurt more than it did. He had been expecting to feel like he was being split in two, but it was actually a slightly painful pleasure. He dropped back on the bed and lifted his hands to Charlie's shoulders, silently urging him on.

Once he was fully inside, Charlie rested his weight on his arms and waited for Harry's body to relax completely. When he felt the muscles surrounding him relax, he gently pulled back until he was almost out and then thrust forward again. The keening moan that escaped Harry let him know that he had found his prostate again. He kept moving slowly and steadily until Harry wrapped his legs around his waist and pulled him in.

"Mm...harder, Charlie...please!"

Giving in to his husband's demands, he began to forcefully thrust into him, trying to make sure he kept the same angle so that he was able to stimulate Harry's prostate as much as possible. He felt Harry's hips join in with his, thrusting up as Charlie thrust down.

Remus was certain that neither Harry nor Charlie noticed the glow that had surrounded them from the moment that they had joined. As they moved closer and closer to orgasm, the glow increased in brightness, it was now an obvious golden colour. He wondered what would happen when they both reached their completion.

Charlie felt his release creeping up on him but he wanted Harry to come first. He wrapped a hand around Harry's shaft and began to stroke him in time to the thrusts. Harry began moaning non-stop and restlessly moving his head from side to side on the pillow.

Harry was close, so close that he couldn't really figure out where he stopped and Charlie began. He dug his fingertips into Charlie's shoulders as he felt his orgasm bear down on him. He stiffened and let out an animalistic sound that was a cross between a loud moan and a scream; he felt himself let go and his legs tightened around Charlie's waist as he came.

Charlie felt Harry's channel tighten around him as he came and he followed him into orgasm after one last hard thrust; his throat tightening as a primal scream escaped him. As he poured his release into his husband, he felt their magic once more swirl and surround them, creating a strong wind that eddied around them. Just before he collapsed on top of Harry, he saw a bright golden glow that expanded and shattered above them. Shaking, he moved off of Harry's chest and slid to the side, turning Harry so that he fit with his chest pressing against Harry's back. He littered Harry's shoulders with small kisses until Harry turned his head slightly to meet his lips in one last kiss before sleep overcame them.

Sirius cancelled the spell on the door and slid down the wall next to it until he was sitting on the floor. While he had never wanted to ever see his godson having sex, that had to have been the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He looked up to find Remus and Arthur still staring at the wooden face of the door; they seemed to be just as much in shock as he was. Narcissa and Molly stood off to the side, looking everywhere but at them, as if embarrassed. Molly walked over to Arthur and placed a hand on his arm, drawing his attention back to his surroundings. Sirius stood on shaky legs and pulled Remus into his arms, feeling his husband shake as the reality of what they'd witnessed hit him.

"That was..."

"Yeah...it was."


	7. Chapter 7

_**Thank you to TrippingOverYou for being my wonderful beta! Kissies!**_

~OOooOO~

Sirius led the others down the stairs to the library where he called Kreacher to get tea and firewhiskey for them. Instead of sitting next to him on the sofa, Remus almost ran to the bookcases and began to search hurriedly through the books, barely glancing at some and pulling others off of the shelf. When he didn't find what he wanted right away, he growled impatiently at Sirius.

"What is it, Love?"

"Get your arse over here and help me look for those bonding books we had. I don't know where Kreacher put them when we were done."

Sirius stood at the desk and raised his wand. "_Accio_ all books on bonding." The seven books they had referenced two weeks ago flew over to the desk, followed by a small, slim book which flew directly into Sirius' hand. He looked at the cover and then back at Remus. "Is this what you're looking for?" The book was about soul bonds.

Remus pounced on it. "Yes! That's the one I wanted."

"Do you think that they're soul mates?"

"Not necessarily...I think that their souls bonded during the consummation, recognising that they are perfect for each other. Each one has strengths that the other doesn't and they are more than capable of handling each other, provided that they work together. I don't think that they are soul mates in the true sense of the phrase, but that they are now more deeply connected than a regular magical bond."

Narcissa and Molly looked at each other and then over at Arthur, who just shrugged in confusion. He opened his mouth to ask what they were talking about but Remus made a loud sound of discovery that cut him off.

"Here it is! That golden glow that we saw was the bonding of their souls. This is what the book says:

_Two people who are not soul mates can have their souls bond during the consummation of their bond if, and only if, their souls are completely compatible with each other. In other words, the two individuals complete each other in a way that literally goes right down to who and what they are. The two are not opposites and are not two halves of one whole, but two separate entities that become fused to make a stronger, more fully functional couple._"

Remus nodded in agreement with the text. "I've never seen anything like that before. I know, for soul mates, when they bond, the glow is a silvery-white light, symbolising purity. This glow was golden, symbolising something deeper, something more bonding than a soul mate bond."

Narcissa scrunched her nose in confusion. "How can there be anything more 'bonding' than a soul mate bond? I don't understand how that can be."

Arthur thought about this for a moment. "So, what you're saying is this...together, they are a stronger couple than Fred and Draco will be because they are more compatible together than apart."

"Right. What colour was the glow for Fred and Draco?" He looked at Narcissa and Molly.

"Red...why?"

"The colour red symbolises the completion of a love bond...ours was red as well."

"You paid attention to that? Hell, I don't remember being coherent enough to remember my own name at the time; how do you _**do**_ that?" Sirius' expression was one of slight irritation and Remus gently kissed his cheek to calm him down.

"I don't know how I do it, I just do. It's part of who I am, just as being hyper is part of who you are."

"What do other colours symbolise?" Narcissa was now beyond curious as the glow that surrounded her and Lucius had not been red, gold or silvery-white.

"Red symbolises love, white is for purity, blue is for stability and calm, yellow is joy or happiness, purple is nobility and enlightenment, green is fertility and either good luck or misfortune depending on the circumstance and black signifies strength and power. Silvery-white is the colour for a soul mate bond and gold is the colour for a soul bonding. Why?"

Narcissa's face had fallen when Remus had told her what her bonding colour meant. She supposed it could have both meanings, if she looked at the right way. "The aura around Lucius and I was green. I guess that it meant that I would be fertile and become pregnant right away, which is what happened, but, after that, everything went to hell in a hand basket." She looked up at her cousin sadly. "I suppose that green was definitely an appropriate colour for us then."

Sirius sat next to his favourite cousin and put his arms around her. "Cissy, just because things didn't end up the way you wanted them to does not mean that your entire marriage was wasted. You got Draco out of the deal, right?" She nodded. "Well then...where's the bad in that? You gained a handsome son who has made you proud and is now going to give you beautiful grandchildren. So, the green could mean good luck, too, for what came out of the marriage, rather than actually being married to Lucius." She leaned into Sirius' side; he had always known what to say to make her feel better.

~OOooOO~

Harry woke slowly, not realising where he was. He wasn't in his room and there was something behind him that was radiating heat like a huge hot water bottle. He shifted slightly and an arm tightened around his middle...a rather large arm covered with reddish hair and freckles. Charlie! He carefully turned over, trying not to wake his new husband. He ran his eyes over Charlie's face, fascinated by how young and boyish he looked while asleep. Harry was startled by the wave of emotion that swept over him. He knew he had been falling in love with Charlie, but now he knew he _**was**_ in love with him. He lay his head back down on the pillows and began to think. How could he let Charlie know? Was there something he should do? Should he just tell him?

Harry was so deep in thought that he didn't notice the bright blue eyes of his husband watching him. Charlie had been woken up by Harry lying back down and he waited a minute before opening his eyes. Expecting to find those bright green eyes trained on him, he was surprised to find that Harry was staring intently at the ceiling. He took the time to memorise his husband's face, all of the emotions flitting across it and the slight smile that graced his lips; apparently Harry was not unhappy with the situation.

Charlie shifted, bringing Harry's eyes to his, and smiled. "Good morning, Love."

Harry returned the smile and leaned in to kiss him. "Good morning to you as well. How did you sleep?"

"Very well, now that I have you beside me. I want to wake up like this every morning." Pressing another kiss onto Harry's lips, he realised that his body had decided to react to their closeness. Taking advantage of that, he deepened the kiss and rose over Harry to straddle his thighs.

Harry moaned as his morning erection came into contact with Charlie's and he began to restlessly move his hips, keeping the contact. Neither one of them felt the need to rush anything, so they just kept up the slow movements and punctuated their moans and murmurs with small, passionate kisses.

Charlie felt the need for more and he stopped their movements. "I need you, I need you now!" he whispered, receiving a nod from Harry. He reached for the bottle of oil on the bedside table and began to prepare his husband with his fingers, making sure to hit his prostate as much as possible. Once he was sure that Harry was ready, Charlie prepared himself and gently slid past the ring of muscles into his husband.

Charlie kept their movements slow, he didn't feel the urgency like he had the previous evening, and kept his lips on Harry's. Both men could feel their releases gathering and began to speed up the thrusting. Harry felt a change come over him, like he needed Charlie to crawl under his skin and stay there. It was the strangest feeling he had ever felt and if anyone had asked, he wouldn't have been able to describe it. They both moaned loudly as their orgasms overtook them and Harry almost screamed as he felt Charlie release inside of him. The warmth was almost scalding, but it felt so right.

Charlie moved to the side and his arms immediately surrounded Harry; he had sensed a difference in this coupling and hoped that nothing was wrong. Harry was shaking and sweating profusely, more than was warranted for the little amount of action that their hips had made. Charlie began to murmur comforting words in Harry's ear, scared about the reaction that he was having. Suddenly, Harry sat straight up in the bed and doubled over, his arms wrapping around his midriff. He continued to shake; Charlie grabbed his wand and sent his patronus to his mother, Sirius and Remus.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Thank you to TrippingOverYou for being my wonderful beta! Kissies!**_

~OOooOO~

Once Charlie had explained what had happened and Harry was lying comfortably on the bed again, Remus ran back down the steps to the library. He summoned every book on male pregnancy that he could find. After paging through three of them, he finally found a passage that described what Charlie had witnessed. He ascended the stairs again at a much slower pace than the last time; he was getting just a little too old, in his opinion, to be running up and down the stairs like a child.

He walked back into the room only to find Arthur, Draco and Fred had now joined the group, making space in the room difficult to find. He pushed past them all and perched on the foot of the bed, after moving Harry's feet so that he didn't sit on them. After opening the book to the proper page, he looked at Harry. "Well Pup, do you want to know what happened?"

Harry nodded quickly, glancing over at Charlie to see him doing the same. "Yes Remy, please."

"What you felt was your body preparing itself so that you can now get pregnant. You're not pregnant yet, but your organs are preparing for the eventuality of it happening. They are starting to shift slightly, to give your...well...your 'womb' a place to grow when you do finally become pregnant. This only happens once in a carrier's life and it usually happens within 2-3 days of the first time you have sex." He looked up at Sirius for a moment. "Did you go through that after your first time?"

Sirius blushed and sputtered for a minute before nodding and turning a brighter shade of red. "Yes. It hurt like hell and I thought I was going to die. I didn't know what was going on, but I found out what it was not long after that, when I talked to Lily about it; she looked it up for me in Hogwarts' library. You should remember that...I wouldn't let you touch me again for a week afterwards; I thought you'd damaged something." He flushed again and tried to look away.

Remus' jaw dropped open. "I was your first? Why the hell didn't you tell me? I thought...well, never mind that now." He broke off, blushing, as he realised the others were all staring at them; there was nothing like airing your teen-age sex life for all and sundry to hear. He cleared his throat and continued the explanation. "After about 24 hours, your internal organs should stop shifting and your body will be prepared for you to get pregnant." He looked up at Sirius again. "Why didn't you get pregnant after that?"

Sirius' cocky grin made a reappearance. "Elementary, my dear Remus...contraceptive spells. Normally they teach only one type of spell to the boys and another one to the girls; I had Lily teach me her spell, so that I didn't end up pregnant before graduation. Once she sat me down and explained everything to me, I was fine. I knew males could get pregnant, but I didn't know that there were two different types of bodies for wizards." He turned to Harry, preparing to impart his font of knowledge on this subject, as he was the oldest carrier in the room. "Not every wizard can become pregnant; only those that have a specific type of magic can do it. Roughly one quarter of all wizards are carriers, but not all of them are gay...it's one reason you really don't hear all that much about male pregnancies."

"That would be why the list Harry and Draco were on was so much smaller than the list Fred and I were on, right? Because only a small amount of gay wizards are able to bear a child."

Sirius smiled and nodded at Charlie. "Right! The ministry didn't take into account all of those heterosexual wizards that are also carriers." He tilted his head to the side. "I'm kind of glad about that...can you imagine them trying to force a bunch of straight wizards to carry a child? Anarchy!"

Everyone laughed at that, lightening the mood in the room. Since it had all been explained now, Molly, Arthur, Remus and Sirius all left, leaving Fred and Draco behind. They sat on the floor and Draco began to talk. Harry wasn't used to having a decent conversation with Draco, having only been around this version of him for two weeks, so he found it rather nice.

"Mother told me about your bond...did Remus explain it to you?" At Harry's nod, Draco continued, "I'm not sure whether to be happy for you or jealous of you. A soul bonding is a really rare thing to happen without the partners being soul mates."

"Maybe, once you two bond your magic, you'll have the same thing happen." Charlie looked at Fred and Draco. "You two compliment each other so well, that it just may happen. Were you comfortable with your relationship right away, or did it take time?"

Fred shook his head. "Right away. It was like we'd always been together. We're not going to redo the bond until Lucius is taken care of, though. His magic could interfere with a magical bonding and we don't want that to happen."

"I'm thinking about disowning him from the Malfoy family, but I want to talk it over with Mother first. I don't want to do anything that's going to make her mad; she's got one hell of a temper and I don't want it unleashed on me!" Draco chuckled at that thought, but soon sobered. "Father deserves whatever he gets there...if it wouldn't seem horrible of me, I'd love to hear that the Dementors got sick of him and gave him the Kiss. That way, neither Fred nor I would have to worry about him ruining anything. As it is, he's already been removed from the family vaults and the wards at the Manor. I did that just as soon as the Wizengamot confirmed my inheritance and had everything put into my name. The minute he crossed over the entrance to Azkaban, the title became mine; no one can be in Azkaban and hold a title at the same time."

Harry looked at the blonde closely, looking for any sign that disowning his father would be a traumatic thing for him. Seeing nothing, Harry ventured into the conversation. "Draco, I don't mean to bring up bad memories for you, but don't you think you've suffered enough because of him? Do you really want to wait? Talk with your mother as soon as possible, she might be a little more open to it than you think. She braved the den of Gryffindors to come to you, so she's probably already thinking along those lines."

~OOooOO~

Harry had been correct about Narcissa's thoughts. When Draco talked to her that evening, she asked him about it before he could question her.

"Draco, darling, I've been wanting to ask you something for the last week and, now that there's time, I would like to talk to you about your father. Do you really want to continue to allow him to bear the Malfoy name? What he has done, both now and in the past, has disgraced our name to the point that some people laugh when they hear it. I would like you to consider disowning him at your earliest possible convenience. Please think about it...I know he's your father, but hasn't he done enough to harm you, to harm me? What will happen if he's released from Azkaban and comes back to the Manor. You know he will threaten your happiness with Frederick."

Draco paled at her words; he didn't want Lucius to be able to come anywhere near the three of them. When he had taken up the title of Lord Malfoy, he had promised to protect any person bearing that name...that meant he would have to protect Lucius, if he was not disowned. "If I don't disown him, I'm going to be expected to get him out of Azkaban, aren't I?"

At Narcissa's nod, Draco made up his mind. "Please summon Sterling, if you would Mother. I need to rid us of that threat. I refuse to aid him in any way, let alone getting him released from the prison."

Narcissa nodded and stood; she bent slightly to place a light kiss on her son's cheek and then straightened again. "You have made me proud, my son. Continue like this, give me a few grandchildren, and I will be the proudest woman on earth. Never forget...you are a Malfoy, but you are also _**my**_ son. That makes you a Black, too, and we Blacks are even more family oriented than the Malfoys." She thought for a moment. "Well, except for Aunt Walburga...she was just...wrong."


	9. Chapter 9

_**Thank you to TrippingOverYou for being my wonderful beta! Kissies!**_

~OOooOO~

Three days after the bonding ceremonies Harry and Charlie received a letter from a Ministry owl. Harry opened it slowly and with trepidation; he remembered the last time a Ministry owl had delivered something to Number 12.

_Dear Lord and Lord Consort Potter,_

_The Ministry of Magic wishes to congratulate you on your recent bonding and thanks you for complying with the edict of a viewed consummation. We do realise that this may have caused a small amount of embarrassment to you, but it was necessary to validate all bonds and marriages._

_We at the Ministry of Magic do wish you well and exhort you to become parents as soon as possible. Wizarding England is dependent upon those who are able to procreate to raise our numbers once more, so that Britain and Ireland can once again be at the pinnacle of the Wizarding World._

_Your ready compliance with this has made our job much easier and we thank you._

_Sincerely,_

_Amelia Bones_

_Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement_

Harry handed the letter to Charlie, who read it and promptly threw it into the hearth. "Small embarrassment?" he muttered before he cast an _Incendio_ and they watched as the paper shrivelled and burnt rapidly. They smiled and went back to looking over Harry's Gringotts' accounts.

~OOooOO~

Draco closeted himself and his solicitor, Sterling Foster, in the study at Malfoy Manor. They were writing the petition to have Lucius disowned from the Malfoy family; they had completed the first draft and were now looking for any loopholes that Lucius might find. Narcissa made sure to have the house elves take in food and drinks when it came to be time for meals, but other than that, left them alone to work. Fred had taken over a room in the dungeons as a testing room for some of the more dangerous Weasley Wizarding Wheezes products and had disappeared down there with George early in the day.

At almost half nine that night Draco and Sterling emerged from the study wreathed in smiles and congratulating each other. Draco called Narcissa and Fred into the library where he explained what they had come up with.

"According to the papers that the Ministry sent, Father has been sentenced to five years in Azkaban. The moment he crossed over the threshold of the prison, the title became mine and the work began to transfer everything to me. Once the title was mine, it became my responsibility to see that everyone who bears the Malfoy name is protected and cared for. Mother, you, Father, Fred and I were the last four to bear the Malfoy name. As of one hour ago, only you, Fred and I bear the name; I disowned Lucius. He no longer has any right to call himself a Malfoy; if he tries, he will be arrested for impersonating a Lord."

Narcissa's eyes lit up. "That means..."

Draco smiled at her. "Yes Mother, that means that you can now divorce him if you wish. No one would expect a woman of the Black family to stay with someone who has been disowned by his own son. Sterling?" The man walked over and bowed low. "Please assist my mother with the necessary paperwork to push a divorce through the Wizengamot. I would like this to happen as soon as possible."

The solicitor nodded and followed Narcissa out of the room. Draco turned to Fred. "That's taken care of...how long do you want to wait before redoing the bond?"

"Let's wait until your mother's divorce is final, that way he can't take anything out on her. When will he be notified?"

"I'm fairly certain that he already has been."

~OOooOO~

On an unplottable island in the North Sea, a tortured scream resounded through the halls. Every prisoner within hearing range cringed at the sound; some even going so far as to cover their ears and cower on their cots. No one knew where the scream had come from, no one knew who had produced the scream; all they knew is that they were glad it was not them who had felt the pain to produce such a sound.

Lucius, formerly known as Lucius Malfoy, flung himself on his cot and, for the first time in many years, cried like a baby.


	10. Epilogue

_**Thank you to TrippingOverYou for being my wonderful beta! Kissies!**_

_**EPILOGUE:**_

Lord Harry Potter looked out over the grounds of the Potter mansion, his eyes stopping here and there, checking to make sure that everyone was happy and that no one was hurt. One child drew his attention more than any other; he made his way to the small redhead that sat alone by the fountain. Sitting next to the child, he drew her into his arms.

"What's wrong, Gwenna?"

"James said that I can't play Quidditch because I'm too small! It's not fair!"

"Do you want to play Quidditch?"

"No...not really, but I didn't get a choice. James just told me that I couldn't." She wrapped her little arms around Harry's neck and clung to him.

"I'll have a talk with James, alright? Now, why don't we go find your dad; he can get down and play some games with you and Fabian." He took the little girl's hand and went off in search of Fred.

"Uncle Harry? Why can't you get down on the ground and play with me?"

Harry chuckled slightly. "Gwenna, Sweetheart, I would love nothing more than to be able to sit on the ground with you, but I'm afraid I won't be able to get back up if I do. I'm getting too big to even get out of chairs on my own; I need your Uncle Charlie's help with that."

They reached the covered patio where the adults were congregated; Gwenna released Harry's hand and ran up to Fred, latching on to his hand. "Daddy, play with me?"

Fred picked up his little girl in one arm and her twin, Fabian, in the other and took them off down the lawn to play some games. Draco watched them go, resting one hand on his protruding belly. "What happened?"

"James told her that she couldn't play Quidditch with them; he didn't wait for her to ask if she could, he just told her she couldn't. I'll talk with him later."

Draco nodded and motioned to Charlie to help his husband into a chair. Harry's girth had increased dramatically with this pregnancy and he found it difficult to do the simplest things like sitting down unaided. "Harry, are you sure it's just twins? You're eight months along and you're much bigger than I was at that stage."

Charlie shook his head. "Poppy said that there's only two...but one could be hiding. We've already picked out three of each name, just to be safe." He looked at Harry. "They turned it down...again."

A look of extreme frustration crossed Harry's face. "You would think that five, possibly six, children would be enough. They gave permission to Siri and Remy after two."

At Draco's confused expression, Charlie explained, "We've asked to be able to use the contraceptive spells after this pregnancy. Granted, Harry's only twenty-eight, but having four pregnancies in twelve years is a little much. I'm concerned about his health; this can't be good for his body."

"Indeed, it is not, Lord Consort Potter." Severus Snape walked up to the side of Draco's chair and laid a hand on his belly. "The male body is not really made for the whole process of pregnancy and childbirth. I've done some research into it and have found that four to five pregnancies is about all a wizard's body can take." He lowered his voice. "I may be able to...assist you...with your difficulty. I have a potion that, if taken on a regular, bi-monthly schedule, will prevent this circumstance from happening again. I planned to offer it to Draco after this is over. Would you be interested?"

Both Harry and Charlie jumped at the chance to give Harry's body a much needed rest. He loved the feeling of being a carrier of life, but was definitely ready to stop. Since the potion was not a contraceptive spell, there was nothing illegal about it; they would just have to be careful with whom they shared the information.

Harry relaxed against the back of his chair and thought about the years leading up to this point. After 'The Year of Bonding', as it was commonly known, a baby boom had happened. Harry and Charlie's bonding, along with Fred and Draco's, had been the first to take place; it was natural that they were also the first parents in the crop of newly-weds. Harry's first pregnancy had been relatively uneventful and, just shy of a year after the bonding ceremony, James had been born. Three years after that, Orion had made his appearance; Harry had experienced more of the morning sickness and dizziness that could sometimes plague a pregnancy, but he dealt with it. His third pregnancy had been more difficult yet and, after Lily's birth, they had petitioned the Ministry for the ability to use contraceptive spells. That first time, and subsequently over the last five years, they had been turned down.

Fred and Draco had welcomed their first child, Scorpius, only three weeks after James had been born. Their second and third children, a set of fraternal twins, were Fabian and Gwenna; they had just turned four in March. Draco had decided that the child he was currently carrying would be their last; he had also had enough. Fred seconded the decision; he wanted nothing to happen to his husband and would rather not risk his life.

Remus and Sirius had managed to get pregnant four times, but only two of those pregnancies had carried to term. They had a daughter, Cygna, born two months after Orion, and a son Jonathan, born just two years prior. The intervening years, after Cygna, were spent in heartbreak after heartbreak, watching and hoping, but never quite getting their wish for another child...until Jonathan. After Jonathan's birth, Sirius had told the Ministry that he was no longer going to comply with their edict; after two miscarriages and two healthy, full-term children, he was through. Fortunately for Sirius, the Ministry agreed and allowed them to use the contraceptive spells once more.

After her divorce from Lucius, Narcissa had received a letter from the Ministry stating that she needed to marry again and provide at least one more child. She had stormed into the Minister's office and thrown papers onto his desk. These papers were from shortly after Draco had been born, showing that her body had sustained severe damage from Draco's birth and she was no longer able to bear children. Amelia Bones had been called in and verified the papers as authentic and the Minister almost fell over himself apologising to Narcissa for the mistake. She was still unmarried, but Draco had a feeling that she and Severus were more than just friends. Severus had never received a letter; because of the torture he had received while posing as a Death Eater, his sperm count was so low it was almost non-existent.

Harry had known that being married while still at Hogwarts was going to be interesting, but nothing had prepared him for the sight of almost a third of the student population in various stages of pregnancy by the Easter holidays. He and Draco had been amongst the few male pregnancies in the school; Seamus Finnegan and Justin Finch-Fletchley were two more. He assumed that there were more, but they either used glamours to hide their condition or weren't pregnant yet.

Once he and Draco had graduated, Harry and Charlie had kept their promise to move into Malfoy Manor. They lived there for two years while renovations on the Potter mansion took place and enjoyed every minute of it; there was always something to do there and they were never short of options. Once the mansion had been completed, they moved in with Remus and Sirius, immediately making the huge house a home.

The only cloud on the horizon had come when Lucius had been released from Azkaban and he tried to gain access to both the Gringotts' vaults and the Manor. Aurors had been summoned both times and he had been escorted back to Azkaban for another two years for attempting to impersonate Lord Malfoy. When those two years had been up, his memory was erased, his magic was bound and he had been settled into a muggle village as far away from Malfoy Manor as the Ministry could arrange. Harry assumed that he had acclimated himself, as he had not been heard from or seen again. Draco, however, was not taking any chances; the Manor was now under a Fidelius Charm and only a few people held the secret.

On the whole, Harry was very happy with how his life had turned out. When the whole mess with the bondings had started, he had thought his life was over; he would be bonded to some stranger and be forced to carry children for him. What he got was the love of his life and children that he loved to distraction. Had he known then how it would turn out, he wouldn't have been so worked up about it. But, of course, hindsight is always 20/20.

Harry shifted slightly on the chair; the ache in his lower back just wouldn't go away. It had been plaguing him for the last two hours and he was getting mightily sick of it. He looked over at Draco and found his brother-in-law asleep on his chaise lounge. Harry smiled; Draco was having almost as hard a pregnancy as Harry had had with Lily and he slept most of the time. He was only six months along, compared to Harry's just over eight months, and he was already complaining about wanting his baby out.

The nagging ache in Harry's lower back became full-fledged pain and he tried to control the gasp that accompanied it. He obviously wasn't successful by the way Charlie's eyes shot over to look at him from the table where he sat with Bill and Ron. He stood and almost ran to Harry's side.

"What is it?"

"I think..." Harry had to stop as a recognisable contraction crawled across his belly. They were prepared for this; Poppy had told them that twins were notorious for coming early, as the body was only able to carry so much girth before it decided it was time.

Charlie signalled Bill and he came over to help extract Harry from the chair he had been resting in. By this time, everyone had started to notice something going on with Harry and began to run to the patio. Draco was gently shaken awake by Fred, so that he could move out of Harry's way. Ron had run inside the house to fire-call Poppy; they wanted these children born at home, as none of the other three had been. As Harry stepped over the threshold, Poppy stepped out of the floo and quickly had him set up in the ground floor room that had been made into a bedroom for Harry and Charlie until the babies were born.

Ten minutes later Charlie was handed his third son; his name would be Michael. Shortly after that, Poppy handed Sirius his second granddaughter; her name would be Meghan. Harry thought he was done, until he felt Poppy delve back in for another baby. His eyes met Charlie's and they both nodded; they were definitely going to be using that potion. Arthur was handed his fourth granddaughter; her name would be Tabitha. Harry knew she would be nicknamed Tabby, but he had loved the name ever since he had seen re-runs of an old American sitcom called _Bewitched_.

Poppy looked at her patient and smiled. "Well, Harry, I have been known to be wrong before, and now is another time. Were you prepared for three?"

Harry laughed a little. "Yes, we were almost sure that there were three. I was just too damn big for it to be only two. We were assured by the store that, if there were only two babies, we could return the extra items."

As Poppy cleaned and healed Harry's incision, Charlie, Sirius and Arthur took the triplets into the next room to show them off. Draco looked at Fred and held out his hand. "Told you there were three...pay up!" Fred counted twenty galleons into his husband's hand and then leaned in to kiss him.

"I should know better than to doubt you. For some reason you always seem to know."

Everyone laughed and gathered around to see the new babies. The first in the group to hold them, however, were their siblings. Charlie had them sit on the sofa and gently placed Michael into James' arms. Once he was sure that the children were settled, he went back into the room with Harry. He crawled onto the bed to lay next to his husband and carefully cradled him in his arms.

"I love you...have I told you that today?"

"At least twice, but I never get tired of hearing it. What did they think of them?"

"Fred owed Draco twenty galleons. The kids were holding them when I came back in here. I think Mum, Dad and Sirius can handle them all for a little while. How are you feeling?"

"Tired, worn out...but happy as hell! We need to talk to Severus about that potion. I'm not going through this again."

"No, Harry, you are not going through this again." Poppy bustled back to the side of the bed. "I will be making a report to the DMLE about your physical health. You cannot go through another pregnancy; I'm not sure your body could take it. Once that clears, you should be able to use whatever method of birth control you wish. I will also be sending the same report again when Draco has his baby. You two have given enough, both before and after the war."

Harry held out his arms and pulled the older woman into a tight hug, pressing a kiss on her cheek. "Thank you, Poppy!"

As she left the room, Sirius, Molly and Arthur stepped in with the new arrivals. After placing them in their enlarged bassinet and kissing Harry and Charlie on the cheek, they found their way out to take care of their other grandchildren. Harry carefully turned in Charlie's arms and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"Thank you for choosing me."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Love."


End file.
